Page 75 of Vows Forged in Blood

“You believe that?” I ask, propping my head up on one hand.

“I do. I never truly understood until I found you, but now it makes all the sense in the world. My soul and yours were destined to be together, even before we existed on this earth.”

I think about that, about how it’s felt as if a part of me had been missing until I found him, how I only feel completely whole when Alaric is by my side. I know humans don’t have mates, but it’s as if somehow the same instincts that reside in him somehow guide me as well.

“Well, that’s very sweet and tender and I will be sure to spread the word that the High General is a hopelessly romantic fool.”

He laughs again, throwing his head back and pulling me atop him. I balance myself with my hands splayed on his chest and he wraps a hand around my nape, guiding me slowly down to kiss him. Slower this time, deeper. We take the next few hours to explore and worship and learn every inch of each other properly.

“Wait here,” he says after another shaking orgasm has turned me completely immobile.

“I couldn’t move even if I wanted to,” I grumble. He laughs and kisses my forehead before leaving the bed. I turn my head enough to admire the view of him stalking naked across the room to the closet.Dear gods is there any bit of this man that isn’t sexy?

He emerges and to my dismay is in low-hanging pants and tugging a sweater over his head.

“Where are you going?”

“To get my mate some food. I need you at full strength for what I have in store for you,” he whispers as he ducks down to kiss me again. I shiver at the thought and he chuckles as he pulls away. “I’ll be back shortly.”

I sigh and somehow manage to muster enough strength to roll onto my back and pull the thick fur blanket over me. I sink into the plush mattress, practically numb with pleasure, and let everything that’s happened wash over me. My lids get heavy and I drift off into the most blissful sleep I’ve had in months.

“Keeva,”Alaric whispers and I feel a gentle stroke down the bridge of my nose. I wrinkle it and groan, sinking deeper into the pillows. I hear his deep chuckle and he strokes my nose again. “Wake, Keeva…I brought bacon.”

I perk up at that, my stomach taking all control over my actions. I pry my eyes open and find a grinning Alaric above me. I stretch my arms over my head and smile at him.

“There you are. You slept like the dead. I thought perhaps I pleasured you into a coma.”

I try to scowl at him, but can’t help but laugh. It’s nearly true.

“I believe you mentioned bacon?” I say, attempting to remain aloof.

“Over here,” he says with a smirk, pulling the covers away. I grumble curses but the smells that reach my nose make them all dissolve away. I leap from the bed and grin when I hear Alaric’s low growl of appreciation. I put a little extra roll in my hips as I stride to the table by the fireplace laden with enough food to feed twenty people.

“Dahlia,” he says, somewhere between a warning and a prayer. “Behave or you’ll be back in this bed in seconds…”

“You say that as if it’s a threat, High General,” I retort over my shoulder, and suddenly he’s at my back, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against his chest. I can feel him hard against my lower back and my eyes slide closed. He leans down and kisses my neck, making me gasp.

“If I didn’t have the innate desire to take care of my mate in all ways,” he whispers against my skin, making me shiver, “I’d bend you over this table and fuck you until your screams shake the rafters.” I groan and wiggle my ass against him,food suddenly forgotten and wanting nothing but what he’s promised. “But,” he says pointedly, stilling my hips with his big hands, “you must eat. So, again I tell you,behave.”

“Only if you promise to make good on that threat after I’ve been sufficiently nourished.”

“Anything you wish, Keeva.” With that, he releases me and I sigh, but continue on to the table. Before I reach it, Alaric is there again, pulling a robe over my shoulders. “Even my need to keep you healthy is not enough to keep my hands off of you if you sit there unclothed.”

I laugh and pull the robe tighter around me. I settle into one of the large chairs and dig into the food. I can’t remember the last time that I ate—before I ran to the battle?—and I’m suddenly famished.

“Have you spoken to Elias? Was everything well at the battle after you and I…left? Oh gods, Takara and the guard must be so worried. Are Wesley and Nova ok??”

“All is well, do not worry. Elias made for Ashcliff—that’s where we are, by the way. Our home on the Lyranian Sea—as soon as you and I teleported from the battle.” I look at him in surprise. “He had a feeling that I would bring you here, to get you as far from there as possible but somewhere I knew was safe. He arrived early this morning while you slept. The Revenant forces were decimated, my miraculous return from the brink of death a severe blow to whatever advantage they thought they had after that arrow—” He cuts off, as if worried that speaking of it will upset me.

“It’s ok,” I tell him, putting my fork down and pulling my knees up into the chair. “How did it happen?”

“Silver powder on a specially made arrow that can penetrate my armor.” I run my finger over the ring that da gave me, a cold pit forming in my stomach.They have arrows that can pierce Alaric’s impenetrable armor—and fuckingsilver??

“Where in the hells did they get silver? I thought it was all but gone from the entire continent, the entire world. And that the Montclares controlled what little remains?”

“We thought the same, but months ago we found evidence that the Revenants had been digging in some caves far out in the wilds. We had no idea for what, but it turns out that they found a long-buried store of silver there. We have reports that Kilgren was in a rage state when he learned that his attempt had failed—though of course the coward fled the battle before I could find him.” His voice shakes with fury and I can feel how badly he wanted to end the Revenant leader, end this entire war once and for all. “So, I can’t imagine they have much silver left, if any. The arrows, too, must be in short supply.”

“Well thank the fucking gods for that,” I say, a little breathless. Images of Alaric, poisoned and dying on that bed, flash behind my eyes and I rub at the sudden ache in my chest.It had been so close, I’d almost been too late, I’d almost lost him…

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